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“I don’t want to impose.” I tried to pull my arm free even though I had come over hoping to be invited for dinner. But I’d never expected to embarrass myself right out of the gate.
“Nonsense. You can be the tiebreaker on what movie we watch. We can’t decide whether to watch the latest Spiderman movie or the new Batman.”
“Spiderman all the way. I can’t imagine Edward Cullen as Batman. It’s just… wrong.”
“Yes!” Payton cheered.
Slade rolled his eyes good-naturedly and chuckled. “Girls.”
“I like her already,” Payton chimed in.
I liked her too. I could see us becoming friends if I wasn’t planning on leaving.
The oven buzzer went off, and both Slade and his sister jumped to their feet. “We’ll be right back,” he said, throwing down the remote on the couch beside me.
Did he think I had any idea how to work his TV? I wasn’t exactly technology savvy. I could work my phone and do simple things on my computer, like write a paper and watch YouTube, but if it took more than that, I had no idea.
I could smell it the second the pizzas were out of the oven. The aroma hit me straight in the stomach, and it protested about not having food for the last three days.
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink. Hopefully, Dr. Pepper is okay with you.”
“It’s perfect.” I took the drink and set it between my legs. I was sure I’d crash once my belly was full. I just needed to make sure I made it home before that happened.
Slade handed me a plate with three slices of cheese pizza on it with a smile. For some reason, he liked feeding me. Or maybe he liked that I finally gave in and came over. I took one bite and my whole body hummed with the melted cheese goodness.
“Thank you.” I kept my gaze fixed on the TV.
“You’re welcome, Harley. I told you to come by anytime.” His voice was soft. Too soft. It felt like he knew my struggles when in reality, I knew he didn’t.
“I know. Thank you all the same.”
“I thought you were gone for Spring Break.” He took a giant bite of pizza and chewed. His eyes trained on me instead of the movie.
“And I thought the same about you. I guess we were both wrong.”
Why did he keep looking at me? Was there sauce on my cheek or something?
I swiped at my face self-consciously and came up with nothing.
“Why are you looking at me?”
His response was only a shake of his head before he finally turned to the movie. We sat in silence, eating, and watching Tom Holland be the best damn Spiderman there ever was. Every so often, Payton would sigh. I had a feeling she had a crush on him. Not that I blamed her. He was fine and hid a fantastic body underneath his suit.
But I couldn’t help but compare him to the man on my right. Where Tom was slim with more of a swimmer’s body, Slade was bigger in every way and all to my liking.
I knew I shouldn’t be feeling that way about my neighbor, but I couldn’t help it, especially after he fed me some of the best pizza I’d ever had. Was it because I was starving or simply because it was that good of a pizza? I couldn’t tell.
Payton threw a blanket over our laps. I sank deeper into the couch, enjoying the warmth and the company on both of my sides. The next thing I knew, I was blinking my eyes open to a dark, unfamiliar room with the heavy weight of an arm pinning me to the couch. I instantly knew that it was Slade. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d had that same arm around me in the water or if it was because I was becoming attuned to his presence.
The need to get out of there erupted in my veins. I couldn’t stay here any longer. I needed out and away. Sliding out from under his arm, I took a look at the two of them, both passed out with dreamy smiles on their faces before I tip-toed out of the room and out of the house.
The craving to run overwhelmed me. My feet were accustomed to hitting the pavement daily, and after three days of lying around, they were itching to put a few miles underneath them. Not bothering to change, I started to jog down the dark and desolate street. There was something about running at night that called to me. I liked that the world was silent around me. It was the only time I felt at peace with the world.
It didn’t take me long before I was at the beach. This time I kicked off my shoes and socks and let my toes curl into the cool sand. Sitting down, I stared out into the dark night and listened as the waves crashed against the shore and watched as the stars twinkled above me. While I didn’t like living in San Sebastian, I did love the beach here.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Slade’s deep voice sounded from behind me.
I didn’t bother to turn around as I spoke. “You are a true stalker. You know that?”
